COMPOSICION DE LA DIETA POST‐REPRODUCTIVA DE LA GAVIOTA COCINERA (LARUS DOMINICANUS) EN EL LAGO NAHUEL HUAPI, PATAGONIA ARGENTINA

Resumen ∙ La Gaviota Cocinera (Larus dominicanus) es una especie generalista que ha expandido e incrementado sus poblaciones en Patagonia. Su capacidad para explotar el consumo de fuentes de alimento de origen antrópico, es uno de los factores que ha permitido esta expansión, tanto en ambientes marinos como dulceacuícolas. La colonización de nuevos ambientes puede afectar directa o indirectamente a otras especies, ya sea por predación, competencia o cleptoparasitismo. Por esto último, resulta necesario conocer la composición de la dieta de las poblaciones de Gaviota Cocinera asentadas recientemente en ambientes continentales de agua dulce. El presente estudio brinda información de la dieta post‐reproductiva de la especie en un ambiente dulce‐acuícola patagónico. Se recolectaron 75 pellets regurgitados de la especie en el complejo Islas de La Guardia en el lago Nahuel Huapi, Provincia del Neuquén, Argentina, en la etapa post‐reproductiva de 2010 (21 de enero–27 de febrero 2011). Los desechos orgánicos de origen antrópico fueron los más frecuentes por pellet (58,6%), seguido por insectos (33,3%) y crustáceos (17,3%). En cuanto a la abundancia, los insectos (48,9%) y los desechos orgánicos (24,7%) fueron los ítems más importantes. Para constatar el origen de los pellets y analizar las proporciones etarias fueron censados adultos, subadultos y juveniles en el área antes de cada recolección de pellets regurgitados. El promedio de adultos fue 77,1 (ES = 40,6, rango = 43–155), el de sub‐adultos 6,3 (ES = 3,6, rango = 3–15) y el de juveniles fue de 3 individuos (ES = 2,8, rango = 1–9). La utilización de desechos orgánicos antrópicos por los adultos de Gaviota Cocinera en este ambiente, demostró ser igualmente importante en los períodos post‐reproductivo y reproductivo, y la escasez de juveniles en los censos sugiere la utilización diferencial de recursos. Este es el primer estudio sobre la dieta post‐reproductiva de la Gaviota Cocinera en un ambiente dulce‐acuícola. Abstract ∙ Diet of post‐breeding Kelp Gulls (Larus dominicanus) in Nahuel Huapi Lake, Patagonia Argentina The Kelp Gull (Larus dominicanus) is a generalist species undergoing a process of range expansion and population increase in Patagonia. The ability of utilizing anthropogenic waste is one of the factors that might have enabled this expansion into freshwater environments. Colonization of new environments could affect directly or indirectly other species, throughout predation, competence or kleptoparasitism. In this sense, it is necessary to understand the diet of the recent populations settled in continental freshwater environments. The current study provides information about the post‐breeding diet in a freshwater environment in Patagonia. We collected 75 regurgitated pellets in De La Guardia Islands during the post‐breeding period between January and February 2010 in Nahuel Huapi Lake, Neuquén province, Argentina. Organic human refuse was the most frequent item (58.6%), followed by insects (33.3%) and crustaceans (17.3%). Insects (48.9%) and human refuse (24.7%) were the most important prey items in terms of abundance. Pellets were mainly cast by adults (mean number of adults = 77.1 per visit, SD = 40.6, range = 43–155), which were much more abundant than sub‐adults (mean = 6.3 per visit, SD = 3.6, range = 3–15) or juveniles (mean = 3, SD = 2.8, range = 1–9). Human refuse importance in the diet of the Kelp Gull was as important during post‐breeding as during breeding season. This is the first report of the post‐breeding diet composition of the Kelp Gull in a continental freshwater environment

Every bordered Riemann surface is a complete proper curve in a ball

We prove that every bordered Riemann surface admits a complete proper holomorphic immersion into a ball of C^2, and a complete proper holomorphic embedding into a ball of C^3.Comment: Math. Ann., in pres

Boundary elements in potential and elasticity theory

A general theory that describes the B.I.E. linear approximation in potential and elasticity problems, is developed. A method to tread the Dirichlet condition in sharp vertex is presented. Though the study is developed for linear elements, its extension to higher order interpolation is straightforward. A new direct assembling procedure of the global of equations to be solved, is finally showed

Estado actual de la programación del riego en limero mediante medidas del estado hídrico

: En el presente trabajo se realiza una revisi´on sobre aspectos relativos a la utilizaci´on de medidas continuas del estado h´ıdrico del limonero en la programaci´on del riego. Para ello, se analiz´o, la sensibilidad de distintos indicadores del estado h´ıdrico medidos de forma continua o discontinua en las plantas, su significado fisiol´ogico, la obtenci´on de niveles de referencia de los indicadores y los primeros resultados sobre programaci´on del riego

General Hydrography of the Beagle Channel, a Subantarctic Interoceanic Passage at the Southern Tip of South America

The Beagle Channel (BC) is a long and narrow interoceanic passage (∼270 km long and 1–12 km wide) with west-east orientation and complex bathymetry connecting the Pacific and Atlantic oceans at latitude 55°S. This study is the first integrated assessment of the main oceanographic features of the BC, using recent oceanographic observations from cruises, moored instruments and historical observations. The waters transported into the BC are supplied mainly by the Cape Horn Current, which carries Subantarctic Water (SAAW) at depth (100 m below surface) along the Pacific Patagonian continental shelf break. SAAW enters the continental shelf via a submarine canyon at the western entrance of the BC. The SAAW is diluted by fresh, nutrient depleted (nitrate, phosphate and silicic acid) Estuarine Water (EW) from Cordillera Darwin Ice Field (CDIF) forming modified SAAW (mSAAW). Freshwater inputs from the CDIF generate a two-layer system with a sharp pycnocline which delimits the vertical distribution of phytoplankton fluorescence (PF). Two shallow sills (<70 m) along the BC contribute to EW and mSAAW mixing and the homogenization of the entire water column east of the sills, coherent with Bernoulli aspiration. The central section of the BC, extending ∼100 km toward the east, is filled by a salty (31–32) variety of EW. In winter, this central section is nearly vertically homogeneous with low nutrient concentrations (0.9–1.1 μM PO4 and 7.5–10 μM NO3) and PF. The temporal variability of seawater temperature from 50 to 195 m in the central section of the BC was found to be mostly dominated by the annual and semiannual cycles and influenced by tidal forcing. The middle section of the BC was less influenced by oceanic inputs and its basin-like structure most likely favors retention, which was observed from the weakly stratified water column at the mooring site. Toward the east, the central section bathymetry is disrupted at Mackinlay Strait where another shallow sill separates the middle channel from the shallow eastern entrance that connects to the Atlantic Ocean. In this section, a weakly stratified two-layer system is formed when the eastward surface outflow (salty-EW) flows over a deeper, denser tongue of oceanic mSAAW.Fil: Giesecke Astorga, Claudio Ricardo. Universidad Austral de Chile; ChileFil: Martín de Nascimento, Jacobo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Austral de Investigaciones Científicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Tierra del Fuego, Antártida e Islas del Atlántico Sur. Instituto de Ciencias Polares, Ambientales y Recursos Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Piñones, Andrea. Universidad Austral de Chile; ChileFil: Höfer, Juan. Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso; ChileFil: Garcés Vargas, Jose. Universidad Austral de Chile; ChileFil: Flores Melo, Elizabeth Ximena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Austral de Investigaciones Científicas; ArgentinaFil: Alarcón, Emilio. Universidad Austral de Chile; ChileFil: Durrieu de Madron, Xavier. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; FranciaFil: Bourrin, François. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; FranciaFil: González, Humberto E.. Universidad Austral de Chile; Chil

Expression Quantitative Trait Locus Analysis in Systemic Sclerosis Identifies New Candidate Genes Associated With Multiple Aspects of Disease Pathology

Objective: To identify the genetic variants that affect gene expression (expression quantitative trait loci [eQTLs]) in systemic sclerosis (SSc) and to investigate their role in the pathogenesis of the disease. Methods: We performed an eQTL analysis using whole-blood sequencing data from 333 SSc patients and 524 controls and integrated them with SSc genome-wide association study (GWAS) data. We integrated our findings from expression modeling, differential expression analysis, and transcription factor binding site enrichment with key clinical features of SSc. Results: We detected 49,123 validated cis-eQTLs from 4,539 SSc-associated single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (PGWAS 0.05). As a result, 233 candidates were identified, 134 (58%) of them associated with hallmarks of SSc and 105 (45%) of them differentially expressed in the blood cells, skin, or lung tissue of SSc patients. Transcription factor binding site analysis revealed enriched motifs of 24 transcription factors (5%) among SSc eQTLs, 5 of which were found to be differentially regulated in the blood cells (ELF1 and MGA), skin (KLF4 and ID4), and lungs (TBX4) of SSc patients. Ten candidate genes (4%) can be targeted by approved medications for immune-mediated diseases, of which only 3 have been tested in clinical trials in patients with SSc. Conclusion: The findings of the present study indicate a new layer to the molecular complexity of SSc, contributing to a better understanding of the pathogenesis of the disease

A comprehensive database for integrated analysis of omics data in autoimmune diseases

This work is partially funded by FEDER/Junta de Andalucia-Consejeria de Economia y Conocimiento (Grant CV20-36723), Consejeria de Salud (Grant PI-0173-2017) and by EU/EFPIA Innovative Medicines Initiative Joint Undertaking PRECISESADS (115565). JMM is partially funded by Ministerio de Economia, Industria y Competitividad. None of the funding bodies played any role in the design of the study and collection, analysis, and interpretation of data nor in writing the manuscript.Background: Autoimmune diseases are heterogeneous pathologies with difficult diagnosis and few therapeutic options. In the last decade, several omics studies have provided significant insights into the molecular mechanisms of these diseases. Nevertheless, data from different cohorts and pathologies are stored independently in public repositories and a unified resource is imperative to assist researchers in this field. Results: Here, we present Autoimmune Diseases Explorer (https:// adex. genyo. es), a database that integrates 82 curated transcriptomics and methylation studies covering 5609 samples for some of the most common autoimmune diseases. The database provides, in an easy-to-use environment, advanced data analysis and statistical methods for exploring omics datasets, including meta-analysis, differential expression or pathway analysis. Conclusions: This is the first omics database focused on autoimmune diseases. This resource incorporates homogeneously processed data to facilitate integrative analyses among studies.FEDER/Junta de Andalucia-Consejeria de Economia y Conocimiento CV20-36723Consejeria de Salud PI-0173-2017EU/EFPIA Innovative Medicines Initiative Joint Undertaking PRECISESADS 115565Ministerio de Economia, Industria y Competitivida

Intracranial stimulation for children with epilepsy

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the efficacy of intracranial stimulation to treat refractory epilepsy in children. METHODS: This is a retrospective analysis of a pilot study on all 8 children who had intracranial electrical stimulation for the investigation and treatment of refractory epilepsy at King's College Hospital between 2014 and 2015. Five children (one with temporal lobe epilepsy and four with frontal lobe epilepsy) had subacute cortical stimulation (SCS) for a period of 20-161 h during intracranial video-telemetry. Efficacy of stimulation was evaluated by counting interictal discharges and seizures. Two children had thalamic deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the centromedian nucleus (one with idiopathic generalized epilepsy, one with presumed symptomatic generalized epilepsy), and one child on the anterior nucleus (right fronto-temporal epilepsy). The incidence of interictal discharges was evaluated visually and quantified automatically. RESULTS: Among the three children with DBS, two had >60% improvement in seizure frequency and severity and one had no improvement. Among the five children with SCS, four showed improvement in seizure frequency (>50%) and one chid did not show improvement. Procedures were well tolerated by children. CONCLUSION: Cortical and thalamic stimulation appear to be effective and well tolerated in children with refractory epilepsy. SCS can be used to identify the focus and predict the effects of resective surgery or chronic cortical stimulation. Further larger studies are necessary

The challenge of the laboratory diagnosis in a confirmed congenital Zika virus syndrome in utero: A case report

Introduction: Zika virus (ZIKV) has caused one of the most challenging global infectious epidemics in recent years because of its causal association with severe microcephaly and other congenital malformations. The diagnosis of viral infections usually relies on the detection of virus proteins or genetic material in clinical samples as well as on the infected host immune responses. Serial serologic testing is required for the diagnosis of congenital infection when diagnostic molecular biology is not possible. Patient concerns: A 2-year-old girl, born to a mother with confirmed ZIKV infection during pregnancy, with a confirmed ZIKV infection in utero, showed at birth a severe microcephaly and clinical characteristics of fetal brain disruption sequence compatible with a congenital ZIKV syndrome (CZS). Diagnosis: ZIKV-RNA and ZIKV-IgM serological response performed at birth and during the follow-up time tested always negative. Serial serologic ZIKV-IgG tests were performed to assess the laboratory ZIKV diagnosis, ZIKV-IgG seroreversion was observed at 21 months of age. ZIKV diagnosis of this baby had to be relied on her clinical and radiological characteristics that were compatible with a CZS. Interventions: The patient was followed-up as per protocol at approximately 1, 4, 9, 12, 18–21, and 24 months of age. Neurological, radiological, audiological, and ophthalmological assessment were performed during this period of time. Prompt rehabilitation was initiated to prevent potential adverse long-term neurological outcomes. Outcomes: The growth of this girl showed a great restriction at 24 months of age with a weight of 8.5 kg (−2.5 z-score) and a head circumference of 40.5 cm (−4.8 z-score). She also had a great neurodevelopmental delay at the time of this report. Conclusion: We presume that as a consequence of prenatal ZIKV infection, the fetal brain and other organs are damaged before birth through direct injury. Following this, active infection ends during intrauterine life, and as a consequence the immune system of the infant is unable to build up a consistent immune response thereafter. Further understanding of the mechanisms taking part in the pathogenesis of ZIKV congenital infection is needed. This finding might change our paradigm regarding serological response in the ZIKV congenital infection